Disclaimer: Don't own it. –sigh-

Chapter Three: Talking

On the way to Professor Dumbledore's office, the woman Harry was following introduced herself as Professor Sprout, Head of Hufflepuff House and the Herbology teacher. Harry had remained quiet, trying to figure out why Dumbledore would want to see him. By the time they reached a large, stone gargoyle, he still had yet to come up with a reason.

"Sugar quill," Professor Sprout told the gargoyle. With a loud rumble, the gargoyle moved aside to reveal a staircase. Professor Sprout smiled at Harry. "Go right on up, Mr. Potter. Professor Dumbledore will show you to the Common Room afterwards."

He nodded his thanks to her and stepped onto the staircase. The gargoyle closed behind him and the staircase started moving upwards, taking Harry to the Headmaster's office. The stairs deposited him in front of a door with a brass knocker shaped like a griffin. Harry hesitated, not sure whether or not he should knock.

The problem was solved for him by the door swinging open on its own. Harry stepped into the office, looking around nervously. His eyes landed on the lone occupant of the room, and Harry froze, shocked. What in the world was his dad doing here? And where was Dumbledore?

Severus studied Harry, gaze lingering on the Hufflepuff crest attached to his son's robes.

"I didn't ask it to put me in Hufflepuff," Harry said suddenly, his eyes begging Severus not to be angry. "I didn't."

Severus's only reply was a small nod.

"If...if you want, I'll switch to Slytherin," Harry said, at that moment willing to do anything to make his dad happy.

"You can't," Severus said, perhaps a bit harsher than he intended. "Sorting is final."

"I'm sorry!" Harry said. "Please, Dad."

Severus was silent for a long minute. "Well, I suppose it's better than Gryffindor," he finally grumbled.

Harry's face lit up and he hugged Severus, who patted his shoulder awkwardly. Harry stepped back, blushing a bit. He knew that his father was not one for overt displays of emotion, but he hadn't been able to help himself.

"How was the train?" Severus asked. "You seem to have made a few friends."

Harry nodded happily. "Daph, Blaise, Hermione, Di, and Neville."

The last name caught Severus's attention. "Neville Longbottom?" he asked sharply.

Harry nodded. "Why? Is that bad?"

Severus slowlyshook his head. "Aside from being a Gryffindor, no."

Harry arched an eyebrow at the older Snape. "Remus was a Gryffindor," he pointed out.

"I know," Severus replied dryly. Harry decided not to push the matter.

"The train was great," he said, answering his father's original question. "There was this witch with a cart full of sweets and stuff. Blaise bought a bunch of Chocolate Frogs and he shared with the rest of us. I got Bowman Wright."

"You did recall the manners I have drummed into your head, I hope?" Severus asked pointedly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yes," he said impatiently.

"Are you sure?" Severus pressed.

"Dad!"

Severus almost smiled. "Just checking. Now," he frowned, "Why are you up here? You can't be in trouble already."

"I'm not!" Harry said indignantly. "At least, I don't think I am. Professor Sprout just said that Professor Dumbledore wanted to talk to me."

Severus scowled. Of course. It was always Albus. He looked at Harry, carefully controlling his expression. "Well, if it's important, he can talk to you in the morning. I'll escort you to your common room."

He stood and strode over to the door. As soon as his hand touched the knob, a scrap of parchment floated down.

The password to the Hufflepuff common room is 'Fried Chicken.'

As he read it, Severus's scowl returned full-force. Albus and his machinations.

"Dad?" Harry asked, wondering why Severus had stopped.

"Remember, it is Professor Snape when others are around," the older man said, passing his son the parchment, and exiting the office.

"I know," Harry said, following Severus.

"And do not expect me to treat you any differently than your classmates," Severus added sternly.

"I know, Da-Professor," Harry corrected himself. "It wouldn't be fair if you did."

Severus nodded, and the two continued toward the Hufflepuff common room in silence. Finally, Severus stopped in front of a statue. Severus turned to Harry. "This is the entrance to the Hufflepuff Common Room. Do you remember the password?"

Harry nodded. "Good-night."

The barest hint of a smile hovered on Severus's face. "Good-night, Harry." He strode off.

Harry looked after him for a moment, then shook his head and turned back to the statue. "Fried chicken," he said, wondering who had come up with that password. The statue slid to the side, revealing the entry to the Hufflepuff Common Room. Harry glanced at the statue, shrugged, and went in.

His first impression of the large room had to be welcoming. It just felt comfortable, instantly putting Harry at ease. It seemed to have had the same effect on Daphne, who was waiting there for him.

"It's wonderful, isn't it?" she said as soon as she noticed him.

Harry nodded, still looking around. "Yeah. So, what are the Prefects like?" he asked, finally focusing on her.

"Pretty nice. The two that showed the way down here said that they'd be leading us to classes and stuff for the first week or so, until we can find our own way around."

Harry's face lit up. He had been worrying about finding his way around. "Really?"

Daphne nodded. "The boy said that Hufflepuffs always help each other out, because the other Houses don't really care what happens to any of us." She wrinkled her nose. "I'm not sure if I really believe him, though."

"I don't either," Harry said firmly. "He's generalizing. There are some people in each House that are probably like that, but all of them can't be."

Daphne nodded, yawning. "Th...that's what I thought, but..." She shrugged. "I wasn't sure. I only know you, Di, Blaise, Hermione, and Neville."

Harry smiled at her, stifling a yawn of his own. "You'll meet more people," he said, yawning again. "In the morning," he added sheepishly.

She giggled. "Your dormitory is just down that hallway," she said pointing. "Sleep well."

He gave her a thankful smile. "You too, Daph," he said, heading down the hallway she had indicated. "See you in the morning."


A/N: Well, it's a bit short, but it's been a while since I last updated, so I thought you all would like a new chapter now, rather than wait two or three weeks for a longer one. I'll try to get the next one out soon! Until then, enjoy!

Oh, and about the Hufflepuff password... I have absolutely no clue. I don't even like fried chicken. –shakes head– Oh, well.

Review Replies:

hahaha-evil: Thanks for your review!

biblios: Glad you like the Hufflepuff Harry idea! I was trying to be at least slightly original! I will try to keep Harry as Hufflepuff-like as possible, though he does have some Slytherin and Gryffindor traits (he has been raised by a Slytherin and a Gryffindor), and he will study hard (because his dad is right there at Hogwarts and will not hesitate to bring Harry to task if Harry's neglecting his schoolwork), but he will remain mostly Hufflepuff.

I really don't like Mary-Sues either, and I try to keep them out of my story. If one of my characters start to drift towards being Mary-Sue-ish, please tell me so I can fix it! Thank you for the review!

lillinfields: Here's Sev's reaction! I think he took it rather well, on the whole. What else can you expect from such an emotionally-controlled Slytherin? Glad you liked chapter two!

Kyki Rivera: I'm glad you like it! Thank you for the review!

sinister sinclair: I hope this chapter measures up. Thank you for reviewing!

Fan: That'll be more fully explained in later chapters. Basically, Lily and Severus fell in love and had Harry. Because of Voldemort, though, Lily and Sev couldn't be together openly, so Lily pretended to marry James and James pretended that Harry was his son. I hope that answers your question! Thanks for the review!

Danu3: I'm glad you like it! Here's the update! And I loved My Daddy. Matty is so sweet. Would've been cool if he went Hogwarts, but I understand why he ended in America.